This invention relates to control pedal apparatuses and more particularly to adjustment means for selectively adjusting the position of one or more of the control pedals of a motor vehicle.
In a conventional automotive vehicle, pedals are provided for controlling brakes and engine throttle. If the vehicle has a manual transmission, a clutch pedal is also provided. These pedals are foot operated by the driver. In order for the driver to maintain the most advantageous position for working these control pedals, the vehicle front seat is usually slidably mounted on a seat track with means for securing the seat along the track in a plurality of adjustment positions.
The adjustment provided by moving the seat along the seat track does not accommodate all vehicle operators due to large differences in anatomical dimensions. Further, there is growing concern that the use of seat tracks, and especially long seat tracks, constitutes a safety hazard in that the seat may pull loose from the track during an accident with resultant injuries to the driver and/or passengers. Further, the use of seat tracks to adjust the seat position has the effect of positioning shorter operators extremely close to the steering wheel where they are susceptible in an accident to injury from the steering wheel or from an exploding air bag. It is therefore desirable to either eliminate the seat track entirely or shorten the seat track to an extent that it will be strong enough to retain the seat during an impact. Shortening or eliminating the seat track requires that means be provided to selectively adjust the various control pedals to accommodate various size drivers.
Various proposals have been made over a period of many years to provide selective adjustment of the pedal position to accommodate various size drivers but none of these proposals have met with any significant commercial acceptance since the proposed mechanisms have been unduly complex and expensive and/or have required large amounts of specialized design and testing for each individual vehicular application.